Top 10 Universities in South Africa

Consistently ranked number one among the top universities in South Africa is the University of Cape Town.  

University of Cape Town is the oldest university in the country, dating back to 1829 when it was founded as the South African College. During its long history it has played a key role in the opposition against apartheid, and now has one of the most diverse student communities in South Africa. Looking at the subject rankings, the University of Cape Town is particularly prestigious for development studies, sports-related subjects and geography. 

Another highly ranked university in South Africa is the University of Witwatersrand, known as Wits University or simply Wits for short. 

It is located on multiple campuses in northern Johannesburg and is internationally recognized as a leading institution for paleo sciences, boasting the largest fossil collections in the Southern hemisphere. It also has major roots in the mining industry and performs well in our QS Subject Rankings for Mineral and Mining Engineering. 

In the Western Cape Province, Stellenbosch University, located in the small town of the same name. It also consistently performs well in our World University Rankings, particularly in the international research indicator. 

 Stellenbosch is one of the oldest institutions in the country, having been established in 1918 (though it has roots as far back as 1864). It now has more than 29,000 students and five campuses, and has cemented a reputation as a world-class institution.  

Another of the top universities in South Africa to have been formed by a merger is the University of Johannesburg. It earned a very high score for international research and international faculty ratio. 

The University of Johannesburg prioritises collaboration in their pursuit of new research and innovation, as shown by their indicator performance. They aim to make a positive social and environmental impact through their work and offer students a world-class learning experience comparable to other highly regarded universities from around the world. 

The University of Pretoria is another consistently well-performing university globally and in our other rankings.  

University of Pretoria is one of the largest and oldest South African universities (founded in 1908). It offers more than 1,800 programs in Afrikaans and English, and operates seven campuses as well as other sites such as the Pretoria Academic Hospital. 

It may be one of the younger South African universities, but the University of Kwazulu-Natal keeps up with the high standards of some of the country’s oldest and most prestigious institutions. 

University of Kwazulu-Natal was founded in 2004 from the merger of the University of Natal, which dated back to 1910, and the University of Durban-Westville, and now has more than 46,500 students enrolled on five campuses throughout the province of the same name. 

University of South Africa ranks well in the World and South African rankings and earns its highest score in the employment outcomes indicator, highlighting its commitment to student outcomes. 

University of South Africa is a dynamic, flexible learning environment with plenty of open, distance and e-learning options. It specialises in humanities subjects and aims to promote African arts and culture through many of their programmes. 

North-West University ranks highly in our World University Rankings, specifically for indicators such as international research.  

Also formed by the 2004 merger of two previous universities, the creation of North-West University was part of the South African government’s plan to transform higher education. It is now one of the largest universities in the country, hosting more than 68,300 students. 

Another high-ranking university is University of the Western Cape which earned high scores for citations per faculty member (a measure of research impact) and  international faculty ratio.  

UWC is noted for its significant role in the fight against racial discrimination in South Africa, having originally been founded for black students only during the apartheid period. 

Heading to the Eastern Cape province next in our look at the top universities in South Africa, there is Rhodes University.  

Rhodes University was established in 1904 and has a small student population of around 9,000, 20 percent of whom are from outside South Africa, giving it a strong score in the international student ratio indicator. 

The University of the Free State earns its strongest score in international research and performs well in the World University Rankings.  

University of the Free State is one of the oldest South African universities, having been founded in 1904 as Grey College. It’s mainly located in Bloemfontein, the state capital of the Free State and the judicial capital of South Africa, but also operates a satellite campus in Qwaqwa.